DictionaryAI

bye

BY/baɪ/

Noun pluralbyes

9 meanings of bye

Practice

  1. 1
    farewellinterjectioncolloquial
    A casual way to say goodbye when leaving someone.

    Like a quick wave instead of a long, formal farewell.

    Bye, I'll see you tomorrow at school!

    She waved and said bye as the train pulled away.

    UsageSpell it bye, not by or buy. In formal moments, say goodbye.

    Similargoodbye, cheerio, ciao

    Oppositehello, hi

  2. 2
    no opponentnouncountable
    A spot in a contest where a player or team has no opponent in a round and moves on without playing.

    Like getting a free pass to the next level in a game.

    Our team got a bye in the first round and skipped straight ahead.

    Because she ranked first, she earned a bye and rested that week.

    UsageA player or team gets a bye into the next round, or a first-round bye.

    Note
  3. 3
    disbeliefinterjectionslang
    A word used to show you don't believe something or to brush it off.

    Like saying "yeah, right" when someone tells you a tall tale.

    Bye, you did not run a marathon in two hours.

    She told me she met a celebrity at the mall. Bye, I don't think so.

    UsagePeople say Girl, bye to friends. To strangers it sounds rude.

    Similarnonsense, rubbish, bullshit, malarkey, bosh

    Note
  4. 4
    cricket runnouncountable
    In cricket, a run scored after the ball passes the batter without touching the bat or body.

    Like getting a point for running, even though no one hit the ball.

    The batters ran a quick bye after the ball missed the bat.

    Two byes were added to the score when the keeper fumbled.

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bye apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 2, 4–5

A different way of writing "by," which came from the Old English word bī, meaning "being near."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Meanings 1, 3

A short form of the word "goodbye."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact